Heading into the 2025 CFB season, Arch Manning is already the most hyped player in the league. After flashing his talent in limited action for the Longhorns last year, analysts, fans, and the media alike expect the star QB to thrive as a starter—perhaps even hit the ground running. However, his father, Cooper Manning, isn’t buying into the narrative and knows it’s far too soon to make such claims.
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Cooper told Dan Patrick on his show that becoming a starting QB is the toughest job in sports. He had a point, obviously. He witnessed not one, but two of his brothers do it. So, Cooper knows how much sacrifice and adversity one has to fight through to win that job. His son, however, has experienced hardly any hardships in his time at the University of Texas so far.
Arch started only three games in his freshman season, backing up Quinn Ewers. Yet, the media still assumes that Arch is going to be the next best thing. That baffles Cooper. While Arch was a five-star recruiting prospect out of high school, ranked number one in his entire class, and showed promise in his start last year, it’s no secret that he faced lesser competition.
Cooper is certainly happy with how Arch has performed up to this point, but he knows his son will face the same struggles that others have after becoming QB1. That’s why he took a shot at the media for hyping the 19-year-old too early, which, he believes, will change when Arch inevitably struggles.
“You know how they do it in the media,” Cooper said, flashing a sly grin at Patrick. “They crown you way too early, and then jump on and kill you! So, he’s getting over way too much attention and way too much credit.”
We can’t argue with Cooper on this. It’s a common cycle the media puts players through. One good game, and suddenly that athlete is the next big thing. Then, when they fall flat, the media picks them apart because they’re held to a higher standard. We see it over and over again. Some players can brush it off, but others crumble under it.
The media is obsessed with labels, and arguably even more so with negative ones. Those generate more clicks. When a player struggles, the media says they’re washed up, never considering that they could bounce back. It’s something Cooper says he’s ready to help his son navigate.
“He’s going to struggle. And they’re going to say, ‘He’s not as good, he’s overrated,’ it’s coming. Everybody knows it. So, it’s kind of easy to see the writing on the wall… It’s no fun to go through it, but it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. This football is hard, and playing quarterback is really hard. Especially when all eyes are on you. So, it’s just part of the deal.”
It’s admirable how aware Cooper is of both his and his son’s situation. Maybe having seen it firsthand with his two brothers gave him an edge over everyone else. But it’s a great thing to get ahead of and coach Arch through. The higher he rises in the football world, the more people will try to tear him down. It’s his job to block out the noise and keep performing at a high level.
Cooper on Arch transferring to another school
Arch spent his freshman year at Texas redshirting to save a year of eligibility. Then he utilized his freshman season last year sitting behind Ewers. It got many wondering why he didn’t transfer to a school where he could start right away. Including Patrick.
The renowned sports commentator asked Cooper if Arch ever came home and discussed transferring to get some playing time. Cooper hinted that it had happened but made it clear to his son that it’s the hardships that shape us—how you learn to tackle and overcome them. That includes starting as a backup.
“I think having your children struggle with some things is good. I mean, yeah, it’s frustrating not to play. Did he love it (being a backup)? No. Was it probably good for him in the long run? Yes. You don’t want your kiddos to come home and be unhappy. But at the same time, sometimes going through a little hardship and bumps in the road is good. Arch is going to have plenty of those.”
Cooper clearly doesn’t want anything handed to Arch. It’s a great mindset to instill in a college athlete. Especially a five-star recruit like Arch who has probably had most things handed to him so far.
The expectations are high for him next season. Arch is set to take over as the lead man of a Longhorns team that made a CFP semifinal run. As Cooper said, it’s going to be a lot of biting nails in the stands from here on out. No more being the Crown Prince — it’s time to show the crowd what he’s made of.
